Canada, St. Lawrence Steamboat Company Passenger Lists, 1819-1838

Following the successful launch of his Canadian brewing company in the 1780s, John Molson and his sons expanded into the shipping industry with the St. Lawrence Steamboat Company, which transported passengers and freight along the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Québec. This collection includes passenger and freight lists from trips between 1819 and 1835.

What You Can Find in the Records

Typically you’ll find the name of the passenger, abbreviations for ports of embarkation and destination, fare, amount paid, and remarks. You can also see whether they were traveling in steerage or in a cabin, and the dates of travel. While passenger details can be sparse, you may also be able to spot clues by noting the names of fellow passengers.

Where families are traveling together, you may find listings like this one: “Wm Gibbon & wife & 6 children - 12/3.” This indicates that he was traveling with his wife, and six children, and that three of the six were under twelve years of age. Children under twelve were allowed to travel at half-fare, so they were noted. Having this family structure can help you identify families.

This collection also includes lists of freight shipped, along with the shipper (consignor) and recipient (consignee). These lists are not indexed, but if you have ancestors who may have been shipping or receiving goods, you can browse these records by year. In some cases, these entries will list residence or occupational details.